Postal Letter

is the US Postal service a Federal agency or a private enterise?

Is the US Postal Service supported by our tax dollars of private revenue?

Public Comments

1. A federal agency
2. US postal is a Federal agency. Think about someone that committed mail fraud. It's a federal offense.
3. It is a federal agency, but Congress made it self-supporting some years back. Employees have their own personnel and retirement systems (no longer civil service). That's why postal rates keep increasing so fast.
4. It's about midway between the two, actually. The USPS is a "private" corporation from a legal standpoint, however it operates under tight administration by a board of governors who essentially answer to Congress. Unlike most corporations you cannot buy shares in the USPS. The USPS is somewhat similar to the Federal Reserve in that it has some autonomy from direct government control of day-to-day operations but isn't completely free to do as it pleases. "Quasi-governmental agency" is probably a better description for both, as far as their operations are concerned.
5. it is a federal agency that is not funded by the gov't the revenues it generates is support of the system, and they plan to raise the stamp cost another 2 cents in Jan.